Sheriff’s deputies in Montgomery County, Sunday morning, arrested a Taylor County man wanted on a warrant. 37-year old Hector Antonio Rodriguez-Menjivar, of Lenox, was taken into custody on a warrant out of Clark County for Failure to Appear on an original charge of OWI/1st offense. Rodriguez-Menjivar was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,900 cash bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Des Moines Police Officers Burial Association has established memorial funds for the families of two officers killed in a traffic crash on Interstate 80. The funds were opened at the Des Moines Police Officers Credit Union on behalf of Officers Carlos Puente-Morales and Susan Farrell.

Susan Farrell

Carlos-Puente-Morales.
Officer photos courtesy of the Des Moines Police Department.

The officers died after their police SUV was hit head-on by another vehicle traveling the wrong way on I-80 west of Des Moines. They had been on the job less than six months. The jail inmate they were transporting, 32-year-old Tosha Nicole Hyatt, was also killed. Hyatt was being taken early Saturday from Council Bluffs to Des Moines.

Police say both officers and the driver of the other vehicle were wearing seat belts, but they don’t know if Hyatt was.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — Employers in northern Iowa are trying to fill a bounty of agricultural jobs. The Globe Gazette reports that local economic development officials are touting a series of jobs that are directly and indirectly related to farming. The list includes work in cooperatives, ethanol plants and feed mills, as well as full- and part-time jobs.

Low unemployment rates in area counties can make it tough to find employees. The rate in many counties around Mason City ranges between 3 and 5 percent, while the statewide average is 4.5 percent. Jennifer Andrade, an IowaWorks business marketing specialist, says her groups is encouraging more businesses to focus on outreach by visiting local high schools.

(Updated 3-p.m.)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Legislature has checked off several boxes that are needed to agree on a state budget and reach adjournment this session.The completed tasks include deals on taxes, K-12 education and what’s actually available to spend for the fiscal year that begins in July. Lawmakers could adjourn the session on schedule in April, a stark contrast to last year when they extended it into June amid disagreement over education funding.

Lawmakers appear to agree there’s about $7.35 billion available for the next budget, and about $176 million in new dollars. Legislative leaders agree most of that new money will go to K-12 education, but they haven’t released information about where the rest should go. Issues like Medicaid oversight, funding for water quality initiatives and medical marijuana remain in limbo.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports two people were arrested this weekend on separate, OWI & assault charges. Early this (Sunday) morning, 24-year old Shayney Delyn Scott, of Villisca, was arrested in Villisca for OWI/1st offense. Scott was transported to the Montgomery County Jail, where she was being held on $1,000 bond.

Saturday morning, deputies in Montgomery County arrested 22-year old Ridge R. Ballard, of Villisca, on charges of Simple Assault, and Interference with Official Acts. Ballard was taken into custody in Villisca and brought to the Montgomery County Jail, where his bond was set at $300.

Sheriff’s officials in Adams County report a woman from Nebraska was arrested Saturday on drug charges, following a traffic stop. Kayla Davis, of Omaha, was taken into custody for Possession of a Controlled Substance, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police have identified a prisoner who, along with two police officers and another driver, was killed in a fiery, wrong-way crash in Interstate 80 in Iowa. Des Moines police say 32-year-old Tosha Nicole Hyatt of Des Moines was being transported early Saturday from Council Bluffs to Des Moines when the police SUV she was in was hit head-on by another vehicle traveling the wrong way on I-80 west of Des Moines.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Ride-sharing company Uber has set its sights on Dubuque — a prospect not being embraced by local taxi companies. Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce President Molly Grover tells the Telegraph Herald that Uber Iowa recently reached out to express an interest in coming to Dubuque. Uber allows consumers with smartphones to request a ride and connect with Uber drivers who use their own cars to provide rides for a fee.

ASHTON, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa avian rehabilitation facility says an injured bald eagle euthanized last week was suffering from lead poisoning — an affliction that kills many of the eagles it tries to treat. The Sioux City Journal reports that the euthanized eagle was found March 8 on the ground along Iowa Highway 60 near Ashton. It had been hit by a semitrailer and could not fly or walk.

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) — A section of a 100-year-old brick utility building the Hydroelectric Dam has collapsed, and officials say it will likely be torn down. The Fort Dodge Messenger reports that the structural failure happened sometime Wednesday or Thursday. No one was hurt.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Police have identified a prisoner who, along with two police officers and another driver, was killed in a fiery, wrong-way crash in Interstate 80 in Iowa. Des Moines police say 32-year-old Tosha Nicole Hyatt of Des Moines was being transported early Saturday from Council Bluffs to Des Moines when the police SUV she was in was hit head-on by another vehicle traveling the wrong way on I-80 west of Des Moines.

Des Moines officers Susan Farrell and Carlos Puente-Morales, who had been on the job less than six months, were killed in the crash 12:40 a.m. crash. Police have not yet named driver of the other vehicle. Police say both officers and the driver of the other vehicle were wearing seat belts, but don’t know if Hyatt was.

Police in Red Oak, Saturday, arrested a woman wanted on two active Montgomery County warrants for Violation of Probation. 19-year old Cara Belle Hale, of Red Oak, was taken into custody at around 11-a.m. in the 1400 block of N. Broadway St. in Red Oak, and brought to the Montgomery County Jail, where her cash bond was set at $10,000.